Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University. Telegraph picture

Already under pressure from student bodies to publish examination results as soon as possible, Tilka Manjhi Bhagalpur University authorities are facing a peculiar problem: they have more answer scripts than students.

Sources said during the tabulation of BA Part-III examination papers, more than 2,800 “ghost” answer scripts have been found. These were sent from constituent and affiliated colleges for evaluation to the university.

“The unaccounted answer scripts have the name of the colleges but they do not match with the attendance register,” said a source in the education department, adding that this was delaying the publication of results.

Dean of students’ welfare Joytindra Chowdhary said the varsity would not publish the results of the unaccounted answer scripts.

“Firm action would also be taken against the colleges for allowing students, who are not registered with the institutions, to take the exam illegally. We would recommend that the affiliation of such colleges be cancelled,” he said.

Sources said some colleges allow private examinees to take exams at the last moment, after accepting money from them. Neither the private examinees fulfil any criteria required to take the university exam nor pay the examination fee.

The colleges submit their scripts, along with that of the regular candidates, to the university. Then, the college officials in collusion with some of their university counterparts get the answer scripts evaluated and the results declared.

Sources said this was a major racket. “This year, due to the delay in publication of results, the university started to investigate and the fake answer scripts were found,” said a source.

The source added: “A number of colleges, like KKM College, Jamui, RD College, Munger, CND College, Bounsi, DNS College, Rajoun, and Muslim Minority College, Bhagalpur, have sent more than 100 ‘ghost’ answer scripts.”

Experts claimed that university officials were hand-in-glove with their counterparts at the colleges to perpetuate the racket.

Former controller of the examination department in the varsity, Senhaprabha Jha, said any student taking the examination without the approval of the examination department was impossible. “Examination forms are deposited at the department. So it is strange if the examination department claims that it was unaware of 2,800 excess examinees,” she said.

Examination controller Rajiv Ranjan Poddar was unavailable for comment.